Since they are the same (even right down to the fabric, for heaven's sake), the zipper at the top is also the same.

Which means installing that top zipper is as easy as following this tutorial.

Except that rather than working with two separate side pieces as we did for that fully-open pouch,

we'll be sewing the body as a single piece folded along its vertical midline, similar to the Zippered Marker Pouch, viz

No reason other than minimizing the seamwork - a fold is less bulky than a seam, and when there are as many layers as this bag has, any opportunity to reduce bulk is worth taking.

Here is the lining (partial view) with the zipper at its top edge. The two halves of the zipper tape are basted on either side of the midline.

Lay the outer fabric piece on top of that, RS together, lining up their top edges. Notice:

the outer fabric piece is only a partial piece. Its lower section will be added later as an expansion panel

the stitching line ends about an inch away from the short sides (only one is shown in the photo). We are leaving the outer/lining layers disconnected in this short section so that we can sew the side seams of each layer separately later.

Here are the outer fabric and lining layers pulled apart. The outer layer has a strip of solid contrast fabric along its top edge. This was topstitched on at an earlier stage.

Slowly close the zipper. The WS of the lining and outer layers will come together, giving you an idea of how this bag will look when finished.

Open the zipper so the fabric layers lie flat once more.

While the lining and outer layers are still separate, finish adding all the details to the lining and outer layer e.g. pockets and strap anchors.

Working with the outer and lining layers separately, now sew the remaining side seams, pulling the zipper tape out of the way so that their head ends remain unattached and protruding out of the seam. Also leave a gap in the lining's side seam for turning the bag RS out in the final step. Finish the ends of the zipper with fabric tabs and the necessary hardware. I used snap hooks here, and D-rings lower down where the second zipper connects to the main bag.

This is what the bag looks like so far. Notice that the outer layer is significantly shorter than the lining layer (WS shown in the photo below) whose height is the true expanded height of the bag.

We'll be creating the expansion panel next, which extends the outer layer to meet the bottom edge of the lining. This panel is shown folded to half-width in the photo below.

Here it is unfolded to its full width, which exactly matches the circumference of the bag, plus SA.

The zipper is a regular zipper (it is not necessary to use a separating one), at least 1.25 times as long as the circumference of the bag, plus some extra inches for overlap. The two halves of the zipper will hug the longer sides of the expansion panel.

If this were a circular-base bucket tote, it wouldn't matter where the zipper's tail end is located, which is where the zipper begins its compressing action. However, this tote has a rectangular base and, thus, discernible front, back and side faces and we want this zipper tail to be located centrally on one face,

so that when fully unzipped, there is some deliberate symmetry to its layout.

Begin by placing the tail end of the zipper along the horizontal midline (red dashed line) and vertical midline (blue dashed line) of one half XZ of the expansion panel. The head ends of the zipper tape will extend beyond the fabric and wrap around again to XYZ when the panel is sewn into a cylinder. This is the layout for the zipper "in the flat".

First sew the short ends of the fabric panel together to create a cylinder, and then baste the zipper on, as shown. Stop some distance away from the head ends - the next two photos show what else needs to be done before completing the attachment of the zipper.

Fold and tuck the head ends toward the SA so that in the finished bag they disappear into the corresponding seams.

Also, see the diagonal-lying SA of the zipper tape in the middle of the panel? That will need to be covered by more fabric.

In the next photo you can see an additional fabric panel cut to fit that V-shaped configuration of the zipper tape. With print fabric, extra care should be taken to align the print of this layer with that of the underlying fabric. Edge-stitch this panel, applique-style, over the exposed zipper tape to enclose it.

You can also see the head ends of the zipper folded toward the SA.

The expansion panel is now complete and ready to be attached to the main bag!

Here is the expansion panel in action - as you close the zipper, the upper and lower edges come together, completely enclosing the printed fabric surface and compressing its width to that of the zipper tape alone.

Now attach the expansion panel to the lower edge of the main bag, taking care to avoid stitching through the lining layer underneath.

This can be done by simply folding the lining layer up and out of the way as shown, which is another reason for assembling the outer and lining layers with their own side seams!

Don't forget to insert any relevant hardware into that zipper seam!

As part of the design, I added a band of vinyl to the lower edge of the expansion panel. The base is then attached to the lower edge of this vinyl band.

Once the base pieces are attached (the lining base to the lining cylinder and, separately, the outer base to the vinyl band of the outer cylinder), turn the entire bag RS out through the gap in the lining, then hand-stitch that gap shut.

Here is the finished bag, lining side out. When the expansion panel is compressed, the surplus lining fabric simply folds down at the bottom of the bag.

Here is the outside:

Side view, in un-expanded mode:

So really, for the amount of drama this bag offers, the techniques aren't that hard, are they? Especially if you're easygoing about the print layout and alignment.

I, sadly, am not :(

Coming up next is our very last bag!

It has piping!

And an offset zippered welt opening (yep - I saved the "worst" for last).

I've been waiting for this bag since you originally posted pictures of it. I've been fascinated with convertible bags for awhile, especially ones that allow you to make the bag bigger when needed. I also love, love, love the previous bag with the zipper straps. I took a leather coat apart with the idea of making something similar and its still a UFO so your tutorial is something of a godsend. Thank you so much for sharing your creative genius.

Absolutly love it! I was just wondering why you didn't just put a separating zipper at the bottom to expand it? Wouldn't that be easier to install but still have the same functionality? But if I ever find myself with a non-separating zipper, at least now I have the way to use it =)

Aafke: Excellent question! You can use a separating zipper if you want to. But I don't. Several reasons:1 This is a zipper whose zipper tapes are always going to be connected at the tail end; there is no time at which they will ever need to come apart. The zipper, after all, MUST close at the tail end in order for the expansion panel to work. It is true that with a separating zipper, you can connect/engage the retainer box whenever you want to compress that panel, but it's an extra step, and requires you to manually bring the two edges of that panel together. With the zipper permanently in this "V" position, all you need to do is begin zipping, and the panel automatically closes.2 Separating zippers tend to be harder to find in stores than regular non-separating zippers. Therefore, this techniques simply makes it easier to introduce an expansion panel without the need for harder-to-find supplies.

Hello and Welcome!

I am a gratefully unemployed mom of three girls, all of whom are growing up much too soon! I like piles of warm, fresh laundry, the smell of salt air near the beach where I used to live, making lists, anything round (like heads) and the quiet evenings sitting with the man of the house after the kids are in bed.

Copyright

You are welcome to link to this blog and to any post on this blog and use ONE or TWO photos for that purpose. Do not use photos of my children. You are welcome to pin images from my blog, if those photos do not have my children's faces in them. Please contact me if you want to use the text on, or more photos from, this blog. Do not post my tutorials on your sites. Do not translate tutorials from this blog into other languages on your site. The ideas and instructions in the tutorials are free - but please use them to only make stuff for yourself or for gifts and not to sell. Ta! For more information, this and this might be helpful.